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Thay
Thay – All the Magic Province of: Thay is a nation of magic. It has been around for many centuries, and although it was powerful, it never expanded too far. Thay used to control most of the Warforged lands and some of what is not the Black Leaf Tribe. After the disaster of New Thay (see New Thay for more details), the city of Old Thay attempted to capture warforged to learn about them and create their own. The warforged responded by waging war on the province, reducing the Thayan lands by more than half. Tensions remain high, but there is currently a truce between the warforged and Thay. The sivler Flame and Thay tolerate each other and supply each other with resources. Thay currently has its eyes set upon the city-states of Balic, but they lack the resources at this time to launch any offensive. Old Thay: In this magically inclined city, colloquially known simply as Thay, warlocks, liches, mages, and other wielders of the arcane are the elite class. Non magic users are often reduced to slave status. The city is huge and sprawling, and is built on a natural plateau. It is ruled by a council, each member representing a different area of the city, a certain school of magic, or a specific demographic in the city. Thayan knights and powerful magic wielders sometimes have a voice on this council. Old Thay is primarily human with some half-elves in the mix. Other races are few in number and generally treated as lesser beings. Constructs have no rights and are not recognized by most as living or sentient. Those who are highly proficient in any school of magic can apply to become red mages. Becoming a red mage means achieving the highest status in Thay short of being on the council. Necromancers and liches are commonplace in Thay, and many who practice the arts elsewhere in Hegan are usually either killed, imprisoned, or driven Thay where they are accepted. New Thay: New Thay was an attempt to make a floating city. The Thayans built a small city in the mountains to their north and used their combined magic to make it float. The power needed for the city to maintain in the air was too great, however, and the city soon began to tear itself to pieces. The resulting devastation caused a null zone to appear in the center of the mountain range. The redwood trees growing in the region absorbed the null magic and began to mutate, turning black and emitting an aura a magic dampening. The Thayans fled to lands, since they were powerless there in its current state. As years passed the Thayans still hadn’t found a way to fix the zone. Meanwhile, orcs all over Hegan began to become hunted, their once powerful settlements being destroyed one by one. The orcs sought shelter in the mountains and soon discovered that null zone emitted by the trees could be spread and new trees were planted. Thay, having no way to combat this, turned its attention to the warforged. Construction and Location Every city on a mesa, rich in center, slates on ground level . floating cities, giant impenetrable orb for council on top. Slates for hire giants guard storehouses on bottom. Academies everywhere, those with magic can work up from slatehood. Slates are voluntary slaves, involuntary slaves exist too. Barges head from floating chunk to floating chunk. Economy/Trade/Magic use Districts and Population Each Thayan city is set upon a mesa. The capital, ___ is the only city upon a true mesa, the surrounding land being magically molded when a new city comes under construction. The purpose of the mesa is twofold. The walls of the mesas, reaching up to 1000 feet for some cities, provide protection from assailants in war. The mesas also work to distinctly divide the population of Thay, separating the commoners from the nobles better names. Those who have magical abilities are often able to pull themselves up to the top of a city. Housing for the poorer arcanists exists in the form of floating islands level with upper level. Manual labor jobs exist there too, as well as less prestigious academies and cheap markets. Lower Level (need universal name) Slates and poor people. Magic academies for moving up (literally). Lots of manual labour. Factories and businesses owned by nobles in Upper Level are here. Pop Dist lower/slates: Humans (many), Half-Elves (many), Dwarves (many), Halflings (many), Elves (rare), Tieflings (rare), Half-Orcs (rare), Dragonborn (very rare), Gnomes (very rare) Floating islands (need universal name) Poorer arcanists, cheap housing (relatively), but barges cost money to use. Islands vary in size, but often large enough to hold entire communities, say around 100 people. Densely populated, not too many slates, no nobility or houses. Upper Level (need universal name) Nobles who own land, many houses and families of importance. Many slates and slaves working here. Even slates have magical aptitude here. Central area has council above it in giant sphere in capital, other cities have smaller sphere with local government (court, no council) Pop Dist upper: Humans (lots), Elves (lots), Half-Elves (many),Tieflings (rare), Dwarves (very rare), Halflings (very rare), Half-Orcs (almost none), Dragonborn (almost none), Gnomes (very few refugees) Changelings, constructs, regarded with suspicion and susceptible to violent treatment goblinoids, kalashtar, shifters, half-orcs, others often not allowed in academies, very hard to get by in Thay without previous magical aptitude. Holidays/Celebration An ancient nation, Thay has a rich history. We’d better figure out what that history is and how it’s important. Slate Celebration Unofficial holiday where slates are often granted vacation, or control is loosened. Schools of Magic Abjuration – day of renewal and cleansing Conjuration – old celebration based on servants and slates, creating servitude; no longer celebrated Divination – taxes and planning, people reassess their lives and make new commitments and resolutions Enchantment – day of taking risks and chances, confessions and truths, being open and truthful Evocation – pyrotechnics displays, lights, festivals, celebration of Thay Illusion – festivals and food of all kinds, portrayals of other cultures Necromancy – revering ancestors, séances, day of comfort and rest Transmutation – nationwide sales and discounts on goods and services, both for government and private businesses Warforged memorial day (suits and featherfall), celebrating days when orc clans were wiped out Culture Thay has strict hierarchy, one that greatly effects how the nation is physically shaped and how it runs. History of the Thay, New Thay Group of people stood up for fighting monsters and protecting the people. Got more and more fanatical. Became more than a group of people, became a group of organized people following an ideal. Town started, nation developed. After troll and werewolf menace was pushed back, nation stayed. Wouldn’t back down until it was eliminated. Next was orcs. Then shifters and goblinoids. The faith is above all and the land must be cleansed of these aberrations that threaten the good people of this land. Slavery and Slates Whether formally referred to as “servants,” and colloquially and “slates,” the slaves of Thay are still slaves. Old laws had servants “slated” to different tasks in order to better organize and make use of their skillsets. The title of “slates” derived from this term and is used almost everywhere except in official laws. Slates wear magical collars that compel them to serve their masters diligently. Collars are attuned to a master upon purchase of a slate and are included in the price. Collars are provided by the state and it is illegal both to have a slate without a collar, and to use a collar on one who is not a slate. Collars inhibit slates from willingly taking the following actions. These actions can only be willingly taken if the wearer of the collar succeeds on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. · Lying to the master · Harming the master · Damaging the master’s property · Disobeying commands · Leaving the dwelling of the master · Leaving Thay Any of these actions can be taken with permission from the master. Thayan Council The Thayan Council of Eight is the ruling party in Thay. Each individual is elected by the courts of Thay, the eight members each representing a different school of magic. They maintain the state, write Thay’s laws and policies, and enforce these policies through the Silver Shackles. Each member holds the position until death or disfavour with the court drives them out. Abjuration – Andreas _____ human, pushing for warforged to be dealt with. Captured in early days of the war, suffered mistreatment. Was released after the war, but is still bitter. Wants to go to war. All military, cares not about the state of the state. Belligerent, Conjuration – A high elf from the Elven Lands, Cutter Trilvokken left for Thay a century ago in pursuit of less traditional magic. He excelled at conjuration and became fascinated with the creation of life. Due to his advancements with golemancy, he was offered a position on the council by the court. Cutter accepted, not be because he cared about the politics or wealth associated with the role, but because of the freedom and support it granted him with his research. Cutter does not support going to war with the warforged, but would delight in getting his hands on a creation forge. He does, however, seek to amend or repeal to treaty with the Warforged in regards to constructs. Divination – Prior to assuming the mantle of Councillor of Divination, Teremi Salatos was the high priest of Tiamat’s temple in Thay. Teremi was offered the position by the court after the previous diviner was removed from office following the disappointing outcome of the Thayan occupation of Paraith. Teremi was key in restoring stable relations with Paraith in the first few months after his election. However, after Thay’s defeat at the hands of the warforged, Teremi has lost much of the court’s favour. In the year since he has done little to restore his grace in court, and with the current push to address the Warforged menace, Teremi continued consulship is tenuous at best. Enchantment – Gladwell Mareston joined the council after his predecessor was killed in the Thayan-Warforged war. Gladwell is the son of an alchemy merchant. He used both his natural and magical charm to climb the ranks, serving first on the court at age 22, and then the council . He makes a big display about not using his magic on others, and is fairly liked by most. In truth, Gladwell cares little for politics, and only joined the council to put himself in the spotlight (the power and wealth are welcome as well). He is against war with the Warforged, and is very vocal about it. Evocation – Persephone Westerveldt is the heir to Westerveldt Siegeworks, the largest weapons producer in Thay. Her father and brothers were slain in the war, leaving her in charge of the company’s future. She earned her position on the council after defeating her predecessor, Otiluke, in a duel. It is by no means mandatory for a councillor to accept a challenge to his authority, however due to her gender and youth, her predecessor sought to make an example of her. After her victory, she was welcomed by a shocked council. Persephone is very cautious when discussing matters with the other councillors. Neither being a women nor being young is doing her any favours on the council, and she is often to subject to criticism. She is currently pushing for war against the Warforged, both to avenge her family and to strengthen her company. Illusion – Terradil Mirrorsheen, a high elf from a very wealthy family, has been on the council for 80 years. He was heavily involved in both the Paraithic occupation and the Thayan-Warforged war. He is incredibly loyal to Thay, wishing to see it restored to its former glory. An incredibly skilled illusionist, he is constantly under the effects of illusions, and does not hesitate to cast them on the world around him as well. Although of equal status to the other councillors, he often acts as the voice of the council when addressing the public or the court. Terradil is well received by most of his peers. Despite growing pressure from other councillors to push against the Warforged, Terradil’s interest lies in Paraith. Necromancy – Mercury Veldstade joined to council for the first time in 1412 St. A renowned necromancer and lich, Mercury had received annual invitations from to court to join the council for 8 years before he accepted. He served as the necromantic councillor for 16 years before he was assassinated by mercenaries hired by Thomas Ferreton, another necromancer vying for the position of councillor. Thomas served for three days on the council. On his fourth day, Mercury appeared in his stead, and Thomas was not seen again. Since his reinstatement, Mercury has been removed from council fourteen times, always returning again unannounced and with his replacement disappearing. After one of his deaths in the New Thay disaster, it has taken him up to a year at times to return due to the anti-magic properties of the event. Mercury is very level-headed, showing little emotion. He speaks rarely, but with purpose when he does; he hates pointless banter and always insists on getting directly to the point of a matter. He agrees that action should be taken against the Warforged, but he is against direct conflict, instead urging the council to find other ways to strip power from the nation. Transmutation – When the previous Transmutation Councillor fell ill and was unable to perform his duties, high elf Maxim Silverbranch was hastily elected by the court to fill his place while the councillor recovered. Recovery never came, however, and Maxim remained the new councillor indefinitely – a role for which he holds no love. He’d happily relinquish his role if not for the shame it would bring his family. As a councillor, he has little time to pursue his own avenues and is constantly watched by his peers and rivals. Maxim seeks no goals with his position, and is content with only taking sides in debates, as opposed to having unique viewpoints. He is hesitant to propose changes he believes in, worrying that he will make enemies on the council – enemies that have much more talent and experience that he does. The other councillors generally dismiss his opinions, unless they stand to gain from his vote. Hidden Magic Talk of pool and other secrets of the nation. Mention the tomb tappers and their deal. Pool Table The pool is this and does this! Roll 1d8. Acquire that school. Roll two more times, rerolling duplicates. Add it is a green box in the thayan outine Thayan Secret Police Despite its title, the Silver Shackles is known by every Thayan citizen. These were-rats keep every Thayan in line. Organizational Structure. The Silver Shackles are composed of hundreds of orphans raised as were-rats from birth. Shackle members are raised to believe that they are part of Thay itself. They answer unquestioningly to Thay’s governing body, carrying out tasks within Thayan borders. They employ the use of loyal citizens to keep tabs on all happenings within Thay. Duties: - To maintain order amongst the citizens of Thay - To repair citizens who would upset the status quo - To root out and capture spies and escaped slaves - To ensure that foreigners respect Thayan cultures and customs - To remove those from Thay who would weaken it